Portable File Storage and Backups: 5TB for ~$120

In an error of censorship and online canceling, saving local copies of your own work becomes more urgent.

We like and use the compact-sized Seagate Backup Plus Portable Storage with 5TB capacity. The model number is STHP5000402 and it's available from multiple vendors and comes in multiple colors.

How We Got Here

Our original 1990s process of backing up our work has withstood the tests of time, and remains a best practice. Before the broad availability of the Internet and cloud storage, we did the following:

1. Saved our work on our own computer's hard drive.
2. Incremented the filenames of our work to save successive versions while preserving prior versions.
3. Backed up our work on removable storage media and brought a copy of the removable storage media "offsite" where it would survive in the event something happened at our primary location.

Despite today's broad availability of cloud storage, we continue to primarily use only those file storage resources that we own and control ourselves.

Our Updated Backup Process

Below is the 2021 version of how we implement our file backup processes, and how the Seagate drive can fit into our workflow.

1. For step 1. above, we prefer saving files locally, rather than saving our work to a cloud vendor.
2. For step 2. above, we increment our file names with dates:
   
   [filename]-yyyy-mm-dd.[file extension] - example:
   New-Client-Proposal-2021-08-14.docx
   
   This file naming convention provides useful context when you review the file years later. As a bonus, the incremental files will sort in chronological order.
3. For step 3. above, because we are IT professionals, we have a more complex means of automating our backups and incremental snapshots, and later transferring our data to our own offsite file storage.
   
   For users without True Blade's backup system who have storage needs > 1-2 TB, the Seagate Backup Plus drive can save up to 5TB of data, and includes its own backup software. You can buy a second drive in a different color, label the drives, and rotate the two drives between your office and your offsite storage location for an additional level of data security.

Disclaimer

This type of solution recommends a process that is suitable for DIY readers of this blog. We can not be responsible for any lost data that might occur.

If you need a higher level of data loss prevention, such as for regulatory purposes, we invite you to contact us to discuss your specific needs.